Despite a rainy Saturday afternoon, Philadelphia’s immigrant community showed up on April 29, where seven of the city’s Mayoral candidates fielded questions from their constituents regarding their policies and thoughts on immigration at the Community College of Philadelphia. 

Organized by United Voices for Philadelphia, a large group of different organizations that support the city’s refugees and immigrants, the forum allowed first-hand interactions with voters ahead of the May 16 primary election. 

Warren Bloom, grocer magnate Jeff Brown, Judge James DeLeon, former City Councilmembers Helen Gym and Cherelle Parker, former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart, and the races’ sole Republican candidate, David Oh, were in attendance. 

While many of the Mayoral forums in recent months have mostly focused on the city’s crime, gun violence, and poverty, Saturday’s event — and audience — forced the candidates to discuss their personal experiences with immigration and immigrants. 

It’s a topic of conversation that has yet to be fully covered in this race. 

Former Councilmember Oh told voters that his father had started the first Korean-American church in the city, while Gym cited her work in fending off displacement in Chinatown — that is now facing its own challenges with the proposed 76ers arena. 

Former Judge DeLeon touted his long career as an immigration lawyer helping the city’s large and ever-growing Korean and Latino community, and Councilmember Parker offered her prior experience teaching English as a second language. 

However, the next 100th mayor is restricted on what and how much they will be able to actually do in office. 

They will be able to see how local law enforcement officials cooperate with federal immigration authorities, such as ICE. Access to city services and economic opportunities, particularly among the very same populations the candidates were addressing on Saturday afternoon, can be greatly improved under their authority. 

With immigration policy being federal, states do have the power to determine if to allow undocumented residents to get driver’s licenses, making healthcare more accessible to immigrants and how to cover them in insurance plans, and creating opportunities for children to access scholarships and practice English. 

Oh, the sole GOP candidate, supported giving undocumented immigrants licenses, with Gym, Parker and Rhynhart cheerleading the “sanctuary city” status the city currently holds. 

According to reporting from the Inquirer, almost all wanted to invest more in translation and language resources, with Judge DeLeon saying he’d create a cabinet position for coordinating services for immigrants.

Saturday’s forum also followed the release of the first nonpartisan poll on Friday, April 28 — commissioned by Committee of Seventy — where it had almost all candidates only a percentage point or more, apart from each other. 

Rhynhart led the group with (18%), Parker (17%), Gym (15%), Domb (14%), and (Jeff) Brown (11%). 

The same poll revealed that there are still many undecided voters; 20% of them that will surely determine the outcome of this race with each candidate having a fighting chance to get through over the other. 

This is how the committee broke down the voter demographics for each candidate: 

Rhynhart

White voters (29% vs. Gym’s 24%)

Voters with higher incomes

People who live in Center City

Men (21%, vs. 17% among women)

The “youngest” voters

Parker

Latino voters (31%, twice as much support as any other candidate)

Black voters (25% vs. Brown’s 15%)

People who live in Northwest Philadelphia

Self-described conservatives and moderates

50- to 64-year olds

Gym

People who’ve already voted by mail (20%)

Self-described “very liberal” voters (40%)

Comes in second among white voters and voters with higher incomes

Domb

Voters with high school diplomas

People who live in Northeast Philly

Beats Parker among self-described conservatives and moderates

Brown

Comes in second among people who’ve already voted by mail (17%)

Stronger showing with the “oldest” voters and conservatives

The primary is May 16 and Monday, May 1 is the final day to register to vote.